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Lloris set for France return

Tottenham head coach Andre Villas-Boas is confident Hugo Lloris will be fit to play for France in their FIFA World Cup play-off on Friday.

Published

11 November 2013

Lloris suffered concussion in Tottenham's 0-0 draw with Everton on November 3 and did not feature in the victory over Sheriff on Thursday or defeat to Newcastle United on Sunday.

However, the Portuguese insists it was simply a precaution not to play Lloris against Newcastle and believes the goalkeeper will be available for selection for Friday's first-leg meeting between France and Ukraine.

"The medical department felt it was probably a bit too soon. I expect he will be able to play for France." said Villas-Boas.

The decision not to remove Lloris from the Everton game after his accidental collision with Romelu Lukaku drew criticism from some quarters, but Villas-Boas maintains the club were correct in their actions.

Asked whether the decision was right, he said: "Yes, completely, 100 per cent."

He then added that further medical tests had ruled him out of Sunday's game.

"It's a test they do, which they value a lot, called an impact test so I had to stick to what they said," he continued.

"Nothing has come to light; he is absolutely fine. The medical department advised us not to use the player. We followed rules.

"We did everything by the book; the medical department that saved the life of a player (Fabrice Muamba, who suffered a cardiac arrest during Tottenham's FA Cup tie with Bolton Wanderers in 2012) deserves respect."